Blast Resistant Wheel and Vehicle
The present disclosure is directed to a wheel for a land vehicle. The wheel may include a mounting flange configured to secure the wheel to the land vehicle and a rim. The wheel may further include a hollow tire configured to be mounted about the rim and wherein the hollow tire and the rim define a space. The wheel may still further include one or more high velocity of shock balls disposed within the space. The wheel may include an internal tire support having an inside wall and an outside wall and one or more high velocity of shock elements extending axially across the support. It is contemplated that the high velocity of shock elements and balls may be glass, ceramic, metal, or combination of glass, ceramic, and metal.
The present invention relates to a wheel for an armored motor vehicle, specifically one that has improved resistance to land mines and improvised explosive devices deployed on the path of the motor vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONTraditional theory suggests that the blast energy of a mine, specifically a shaped mine, is directed upwards from the mine in a conical shape. Specifically, the traditional theory states that the high pressure explosive gasses accelerate the soil or sand under which it is buried upwards. This accelerated soil or sand can be referred to as “ejecta.” However, new research suggests that when a traditional mine is buried beneath the ground, the shockwave generated by the explosives results in a cylindrical column of ejecta on either side, and ahead of, an upward column of expanding gas. These columns typically have less than a 5 degree deviation in any direction. When a wheel of a vehicle triggers the detonation of a land mine or improvised explosive device, the shockwave travels through the wheel and into the vehicle and may cause significant damage (as verified by high speed videos and new simulation programs).
Efforts to reduce the shockwave transferred to the vehicle body have included the use of inserts having a high acoustic speed placed within a wheel tire of a wheeled vehicle and between tracks of a tracked vehicles. One such example of this is U.S. Patent Publication US 2006/0272491 by Joynt (“the '491 publication”). The '062 patent discloses a landmine protection system including one or more wave guide members. While this land mine protection system may help reduce the transfer of blast energy to the body of the vehicle, additional measures as set forth hereinafter may be effective at increasing the reduction of shock transfer to the vehicle. Further, the system of the '491 publication may not be compatible with run-flat tire systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a wheel for a land vehicle. The wheel may include a mounting flange configured to secure the wheel to the land vehicle and a rim. The wheel may further include a hollow tire configured to be mounted about the rim and wherein the hollow tire and the rim define a space. The wheel may still further include one or more high velocity of shock balls disposed within the space.
In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a wheel for a land vehicle. The wheel may include a mounting flange and a rim. The wheel may further include a tire and an internal tire support having an inside wall and an outside wall and one or more high velocity of shock elements extending axially across the support.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the invention examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a blast-resistant wheel for an armored land vehicle. In the context of the present invention the phrase “blast-resistant”means that the vehicle is particularly resistant to penetration by either the blast energy or material propelled by the blast energy from a land mine that explodes beneath the wheel. In the context of the present invention the phrase “land vehicle” means a vehicle intended primarily to propel itself on the surface of the ground by wheels, or a combination of wheels and tracks.
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When a mine explodes below vehicle 10, soil ejecta may be launched in streams approximately straight up into contact with vehicle 10. In a situation where wheel 30 initiates the explosion (e.g., a pressure triggered mine), soil ejecta may be launched into contact with wheel 30, specifically tread 48 of tire 46. When the soil ejecta contacts wheel 30, tire 46 may compress and sidewalls 47A and 47B may flatten and may result in deflection of soil ejecta away from vehicle 10. Further, when the explosion occurs, shock may be transferred through wheel 30 into vehicle 10. When the shockwave or shockwaves pass through one or more balls 52, liquid 64, insert 60, and/or guide 62, the shockwave rapidly accelerates and may cause the high velocity of shock materials to be rapidly directed into contact with sidewalls 47A and 47B, rim 44, and/or mounting flange 42, and away from vehicle 10 (the balls 52 may contact sidewalls 47A and 47B because the shockwave travels faster though balls 52 and the liquid in the insert 60 than through the air, so the shockwave is directed to the sidewall rubber faster than it would be by the air or through the rubber tire itself). At least a portion of fragments of sidewalls 47A and 47B, rim 44, and/or mounting flange 42, and high velocity of shock material within wheel 30 may also be directed away from vehicle 10.
When a mine explodes below vehicle 10, soil ejecta may be launched in streams straight up into contact with vehicle 10. In a situation where wheel 30 initiates the explosion, soil ejecta may be launched into contact with wheel 30, specifically tread 48 of tire 46. When the soil ejecta contacts wheel 30, tire 46 may compress and sidewalls 47A and 47B may flatten and may result in deflection of soil ejecta away from vehicle 10. Further, when the explosion occurs, shock may be transferred through wheel 30 into vehicle 10. When the shockwave or shockwaves pass through high velocity of shock element 78, the shockwave rapidly accelerates causing the high velocity of shock material to be rapidly directed into contact with sidewalls 47A and 47B and away from vehicle 10. At least a portion of fragments of sidewalls 47A and 47B may be directed away from vehicle 10. As shown in
Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.
Claims
1. A wheel for a land vehicle, the wheel including:
- a mounting flange configured to secure the wheel to the land vehicle;
- a rim;
- a hollow tire configured to be mounted about the rim, wherein the hollow tire and the rim define a space; and
- a plurality of high velocity of shock devices that are balls disposed within the space;
- wherein one or more of the high velocity of shock devices are of a material having an acoustic speed of greater than about 4000 meters per second, and
- wherein at least one of the devices is secured to and in contact with an inner surface of the rim or the tire.
2. The wheel of claim 1, wherein the one or more shock devices are balls including glass, ceramic, or metal, or a combination thereof.
3. (canceled)
4. The wheel of claim 1, further including a high velocity of shock liquid disposed within the space.
5. The wheel of claim 4, wherein at least some of the high velocity of shock devices are completely submerged within the high velocity of shock liquid.
6. The wheel of claim 4, wherein the rim includes an insert extending into the space.
7. The wheel of claim 6, wherein the insert is ceramic.
8. The wheel of claim 6, wherein the insert further includes at least one high velocity of shock guide disposed at angle oblique relative to a surface the land vehicle operates on.
9. A wheel for a land vehicle, the wheel including:
- a mounting flange;
- a rim;
- a tire and a circumferentially disposed internal tire support having an inside wall and an outside wall; and
- one or more high velocity of shock elements extending axially and entirely across the support;
- wherein the one or more high velocity of shock elements are of a material having an acoustic speed of greater than about 4000 meters per second.
10. The wheel of claim 9, wherein the one or more high velocity of shock elements extend beyond the inside wall and beyond the outside wall.
11. The wheel of claim 9, wherein the one or more elements are glass, ceramic, or metal, or a combination thereof.
12. The wheel of claim 9, wherein the tire is hollow and the tire and the rim define a space, and wherein the space includes one or more high velocity of shock balls.
13. The wheel of claim 12, wherein the balls are ceramic, glass, metal, or a combination thereof.
14. The wheel of claim 9, wherein the support includes a circumference, and wherein the one or more elements are approximately equally spaced apart about the circumference of the support.
15. The wheel of claim 9, wherein the one or more elements are disposed at an oblique angle relative to a surface on which the wheel operates.
16. A blast resistant armored land vehicle, the vehicle including:
- at least one axle; and
- a wheel, the wheel including: a mounting flange configured to secure the wheel to the axle; a rim including an insert; a hollow tire configured to be mounted about the rim, wherein the hollow tire, the rim, and the rim insert define a space; a plurality of high velocity of shock balls disposed within the space; and high velocity of shock liquid disposed within the space;
- wherein the plurality of high velocity of shock balls are of a material having an acoustic speed of greater than about 4000 meters per second.
17-19. (canceled)
20. The blast resistant vehicle of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of high velocity of shock balls is one of glass, ceramic, or metal.
21. A wheel for a land vehicle, the wheel including:
- a mounting flange configured to secure the wheel to the land vehicle;
- a rim;
- a hollow tire configured to be mounted about the rim, wherein the hollow tire and the rim define a space; and
- a plurality of high velocity of shock balls disposed within the space;
- wherein one or more of the high velocity of shock balls are made of glass or ceramic or a combination thereof, and
- wherein at least one of the high velocity of shock balls is secured to and in contact with an inner surface of the rim or the tire.
22. The wheel of claim 21, wherein at least one of the one or more high velocity of shock balls are free to move within the space.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 18, 2010
Publication Date: Feb 23, 2012
Inventors: Vernon P. Joynt (Pretoria), Daniel J. Farmer (Battle Ground, WA)
Application Number: 12/858,710
International Classification: B60C 5/00 (20060101); B60B 21/00 (20060101); B60C 19/00 (20060101);